This invention relates generally to skiing apparatus and, more particularly, to a novel slide arrester incorporated on a ski pole.
A typical ski pole includes an elongated shaft with a pointed end for penetrating the snow, a snow disc encircling the shaft near the pointed end to limit its penetration, and a handle grip at the opposite end for grasping by a skier's hand. In the sport of snow skiing, ski poles have been in use by skiers for a long time as an aid in skiing, both to help maintain balance and to maneuver, as well as to assist in propelling the skier across the snow. Also, ski poles have been effective in assisting skiers who have fallen in righting themselves.
Upon falling, it often happens that a skier will commence sliding down a ski slope and will experience difficulty in stopping, particularly if the slope is steep or the ski surface is hard or icy. In these circumstances, a danger of injury to the fallen skier due to tumbling or obstructions on the ski slope and to other skiers in the path of the fallen skier is created. At the least, the fallen skier may be greatly inconvenienced by having lost a ski, ski pole or other paraphernalia at some point and sliding a substantial distance from same before stopping.
Hence, there is a need for a slide arrester that can be carried easily by a skier and be maintained readily available for use after a fall in halting or arresting slides down a ski slope. The primary objective of the present invention is a novel slide arrester that is incorporated on a ski pole to fulfill this need.